Sunday is known as the AMP Energy Juice 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Corporate NASCAR pulled their heads off their shoulders and became too corporate again Saturday when Robby Gordon, who’s Speed Energy Toyota will roll off from the 42nd position Sunday, had an issue with his new energy drink and Sunday’s race sponsor AMP Energy.

Of course, NASCAR will say the incident that I am about to tell you about had nothing to do with the race sponsor and will say it was something they can’t discuss.

Robby Gordon had his personal truck parked in the owner/driver parking lot at Talladega Superspeedway. Nothing should have been wrong, yet when Robby went to find his truck something was wrong.

“It’s gone,” Gordon said. “I guess it’s in some impound yard somewhere. But it’s my personal truck.”

Why would they tow his personal truck? Because Gordon had his Speed Energy logo on the truck, trying to promote his energy drink introduced this weekend a little bit more.

Corporate NASCAR has gone way too far.

Watching Undercover Boss last Sunday Night on CBS, a crew member on a Michael Waltrip Racing team had told NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Marketing Steve Phelps that NASCAR had become too corporate and he would like to see that change. Phelps had said it would be hard but they would try working on that.

Too bad the Hollywood urban legend told to their fans last Sunday night was just that.

We all know NASCAR and the International Speedway Corporation (who runs Talladega Superspeedway) are run by the same people and the ultimate decision came down from the NASCAR people.

NASCAR already regulates series sponsorships without allowing another major gas company or cell phone company to sponsor a team due to their ties with Sprint and Sunoco. What’s next, if you have a sponsor on a car that is a rival to the race sponsor, their logos will have to leave the track and you will have to find a new sponsor for that weekends race?

Shesh! Can anyone tell me why NASCAR is losing fans?

What started as a relatively calm weekend got its green flag with Camping World Truck Series. Side by side racing was the course for the day. Bump drafting in trucks whose bumpers do not line up requires skill and caution. In a series that touts itself the entry level NASCAR touring series, this field was split with experience and relative inexperience.

It was that inexperience that caused most of the issues on the day, with wrecks on pit road entry and finally the big one which saw Ron Hornaday flip 5 times in the Kevin Harvick Inc. No. 33 Chevrolet, after being collected by Todd Bodine who spun after an attempt at bump drafting by Grant Enfinger went bad. Hornaday was unhurt but the truck itself was destroyed.

However, there was light in the darkness, the first person to Hornaday was fellow competitor Todd Bodine. It is that kind of concern, friend or not, that shows that through the years Todd has learned what it means to be a champion. His concern and his actions showed the class of a champion and spoke highly of the human being and man that he is.

The truck race had the closest finish in Truck series history since the implementation of electronic scoring, with Kyle Busch winning by .002 seconds over Aric Almirola; however, the finish was not without controversy. Kyle got sideways, due to air turbulents, just before the start finish line, and ended up with the left side tires below the infamous yellow line trying to save the truck.

Almirola was understandable disappointed and stated, “It says plain as day in the rule book you can’t improve your position going below the yellow line. But NASCAR said no penalty to Busch because Kyle’s truck was sideways when he was next to me, that’s what made him go below the yellow line. I don’t have a clear understanding of the (yellow line) rule, I guess. A part of me feels that I got robbed.”

Busch after watching the replay stated, “I was already alongside him well before I got below the line. Judgment call. It’s on NASCAR.”

Kyle Busch used good judgement. Although many fans have already begun saying it’s controversial and have began making negative statements about Kyle, the finish, and of course NASCAR’s ruling on the incident. The bottom line is that by exercising that judgement, he saved a major wreck that would have taken many of the front runners if not all of them out at the finish line.

At that point in the race, the odds of someone getting hurt were astronomical. The situation would have been along the lines of the 1993 Talladega crash of Rusty Wallace only with more trucks involved. By choosing to control the truck by moving two tires below the yellow line, Kyle Busch avoided that for himself and all of the competitors on the track with him.

Sometimes I think that we get so use to disapproving of a specific driver, in this case Kyle Busch, that we just out of habit disapprove. That we don’t watch the replay and look at it from a unbiased point of view.

In the past, I have said that although Kyle is an extremely talented young man in the race car/truck, his immaturity and lack of judgement hurts the publics ability to take him seriously in a positive way. But Kyle Busch is growing up. He is maturing. He is growing. Not only as a man but as a driver as well. He used judgement that benefitted not only himself and his effort on the race track but protected his fellow competitors as well. I will call a spade a spade. But this time it’s a diamond.

Kudos to Kyle Busch and his team on one of the most dramatic and hard fought wins of the season in the CWTS. You earned it and you deserved it.

There will be more races and other opportunities for Aric Almirola. His talents also were show cased today. His move to JR. Motorsports next year will only continue to polish his obvious talents and increase his prowess in both the Nationwide Series cars and the Camping World trucks.

His disappointment will stay with him. This will be a race that he looks at for a long time and thinks I let that one get away. But there are plenty of those in every career. What makes the mantle of a champion is how he deals with them. Does he learn from them and grow, or does he spend the rest of his career pinning for what could have been.

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Other notable performances in the truck series today were Ken Schrader who managed to show the “younguns” that the old dog still knew plenty of tricks and led the race in Kevin Harvick Inc.’s #2 Chevy before finishing 11th with a truck that was badly damaged in the big crash with 4 laps to go.

Also, congratulations to Jennifer Jo Cobb on showing the prescence of mind to keep her cool when running out of gas and coming back to finish 23rd 4 laps down in her drivenmale.com/Driverboutique.com Ford. She ran in the lead pack through the early part of the race before running out of gas before halfway. She showed herself to be an extremely capable driver and not just another pretty face in her first attempt at Talladega.

Tomorrow as the world prepares for the spookiest night of the year, Halloween, the Sprint Cup series will tackle Talladega. As is the case with the trucks, the Sprint Cup competitors will hold their breath and use all the talent and skill available to them to avoid “The Big One.” Who will come out on top here? Will it be a Chase contender? A spoiler? Or will JR. Nation finally be appeased with their first win since 2008? Only the spirits of Hallowdega know for sure.

Tune in to see the filmette by AMP Energy Juice called “The Legend of Hallowdega” before the race. The short film by renowned director Terry Gillam features David Arquette and Terry Kirk, as well as appearances from some of NASCAR’s legends and the driver of the Hendrick Motorsports, Legend of Hallowdega, #88 Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr. You can watch previews at the site, www.legendofhallowdega.com.

Finally, thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and associates of Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s Vice President of Communication, who passed away last night at the age of 71 after a long battle with Lung Cancer. He had an impact on the sport that we love that will long live after him. It was his direction and support that helped create many of the stars of today in our sport. He cared about them and the fans and all the people that worked in and around NASCAR. He will truly be missed.

In a show of respect, Talladega Superspeedway will lower the track flags on property for Jim Hunter; however, they can’t lower the U.S. flag without a decree from the Alabama Govenor. There was no word on whether that was requested by NASCAR. The speedway also announced Sunday morning that their press box will be renamed to honor Hunter.

The Fourth Turn will be back after Sunday’s race with observations and insights on the AMP Energy Juice 500. Until then, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

Rumor has it that Lance McGrew will be off the pit box for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the #88 Hendrick Motorsports team in 2011. And I’m sure most people saw this as an imminent move, including myself.

The chemistry between the crew chief and driver just hasn’t worked like it has for Earnhardt Jr. in the past, such as it was with Tony Eury Sr.  Granted, they have had some pretty descent runs, like at Martinsville last Sunday.

Since McGrew has been promoted to crew chief in May ’09, Earnhardt has only recorded ten top-10 finishes. Not a fantastic record by any means since Earnhardt recorded sixteen top-10s in his first year at Hendrick Motorsports in ’08.

Because of his solid record in ’08, that proves that Earnhardt is not the problem, as I have heard from a number of people. In the offseason between the ’08 and ’09 something occurred with the #88 team. With what, I honestly do not know. If we did know, Rick Hendrick would have already fixed the problem. But the results in ’09 and this year show something is amiss with the team. That problem is McGrew.

Now, do not misunderstand me, I am not bemoaning McGrew as a crew chief because I think him a very capable one. But my point is, McGrew and Earnhardt do not seem to work and communicate well together at all. Instead, they argue and bicker over the radio like feuding siblings almost constantly. Anyone who has tuned into the #88 radio knows what I am referring to.

Apparently, this will not do when they are attempting to race for the win week in and week out. Now the obvious and most difficult question: who is to replace McGrew? I have always been a strong advocate for Tony Eury Sr., with whom Earnhardt won the majority of his races with. However, Eury Sr. has explained that he has no desire whatsoever of becoming a full time Sprint Cup crew chief again.

What about Ron Malek, the #48 car chief, whose name has come up quite recently? A great candidate , considering how well and dominate the #48 has run for the past several years. However, many #48 fans would probably be upset by this and say “Wait! You can’t take him! Look how well Johnson is running!” True, but may I point out that really, only two of the Hendrick cars are running well and in the Chase for the championship, Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

Johnson, obviously, is an extremely talented driver, and I concur that whoever is Johnson’s car chief, he can still accomplish amazing things behind the wheel. It is better to have all four Hendrick teams running well than just two outrunning the others every week.

What about Alan Gustafson, Mark Martin’s crew chief? Another crew chief who has proven himself in being able to win races. He appears to be the leading candidate for the job, even though both Gustafson and Rick Hendrick have denied that he will move to the #88.

Let me explain why. When Kasey Kahne comes over from Red Bull Racing to replace Martin in the #5 in ’12, he will most likely bring Kenny Francis, his current crew chief, along with him. There is almost no doubt that that is what will occur. That would mean that one of the Hendrick crew chiefs would be out.

Chad Knaus will remain with Johnson, Steve Letarte will remain most likely remain with Gordon, so that leaves either McGrew or Gustafson out. Therefore, Gustafson seems to be the choice for Earnhardt.

So, my conclusion? The most logical move would be to move Gustafson to the #88 and McGrew to the #5 for next year. Why not keep Alan with Mark, who work and communicate extremely well together, and move Malek to crew chief for Earnhardt in ’11? It makes no sense because in ’12 Gustafson would be out of a crew chief position, unless it was to work that Malek would be the crew chief for the #88 in ’11 and then Gustafson in ’12. That also makes no sense. Once Kahne and Francis arrive in ’12, move McGrew back to his original position with Hendrick Motorsports.

If Rick Hendrick does indeed move Gustafson to the #88 and McGrew to the #5, then he has a better chance of getting all four cars back in contention to win races and pursue a championship for the organization. Rick Hendrick is an intelligent owner and he will do what he believes will benefit his organization as a whole.

So, how do you solve a problem like Dale Jr.? Alan Gustafson is the answer.

With his championship hopes all but dashed after a late race altercation with Kurt Busch at Martinsville last weekend, Jeff Gordon has nothing to lose and only that elusive win to gain this season. The four-time champion, who has also been in the hunt for a new sponsor for 2011, has not won a Cup race since he donned the cowboy hat and fired the pistols in Victory Lane at Texas in April 2009.

Gordon will have to pursue his goal of garnering that first season win at one of the Cup Series most challenging and unpredictable tracks, Talladega Superspeedway. The Amp Energy Juice 500, the only restrictor plate race in the Chase, is scheduled to run on Sunday, October 31st this Halloween weekend.

“The plan is to win,” Gordon said. “And whatever strategy works for that is the one I want to use. More than likely, we won’t be laying back and just riding around.”

Gordon is, however, realistic as he approaches the vagaries of Talladega, from the lap after lap white knuckle insanely close quarters racing to the infamous ‘big one’ that always seems to occur at restrictor plate tracks like ‘Dega.

“You have to be willing to adjust as you go,” Gordon said. “You never know how the race is going to play out, so it might be necessary to drop back out of the lead pack at some point. But laying back is not in the pre-race game plan.”

Gordon has had success at Talladega, albeit not recently. In 2005, Gordon won, after leading 139 laps. In 2007, Gordon won more dramatically, leading just the last lap to take the checkered flag. Gordon has six wins, one pole, 13 top-fives and 16 top-10 finishes in 35 starts at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.

“I look at it and know what to expect and accept it,” Gordon said. “I think we have a great shot at a top five if we survive the big one.”

With nothing to lose now and only a win to gain, Gordon has also been successful in his hunt for a new sponsor. Hendrick Motorsports just announced that AARP and the AARP Foundation will sponsor Gordon in an effort to call attention to ending hunger among older Americans.

Gordon’s ‘Drive To End Hunger’ is a three-year sponsorship initiative that will start in 2011. This unique sponsorship, poised to raise not only awareness but also money for the cause, will be on the No. 24 car for 22 races each year.

“This is a truly unique opportunity to help people, and it’s a completely new, cause-driven approach to sponsorship,” Gordon said. “Every single day, millions of older Americans are forced to make a choice between food, medicine and utilities. It’s going to be a team effort, and it’s not going to be easy, but we can solve this problem.”

Hunger is a hiding problem that millions of older Americans are battling silently,” Jo Ann Jenkins, AARP Foundation President, said. “NASCAR fans are among the most charitable, community-minded sports fans in the country and they have a track record of commitment. With the help of Jeff and the Hendrick team, we will make the most of this unprecedented opportunity to end the struggle that so many older Americans have with hunger.”

For Hendrick Motorsports, this ends the speculation that has surrounded Gordon and his team since Dupont announced that it could no longer afford to be the full-time primary sponsor. Dupont and Gordon’s other sponsor Pepsi will remain as primary sponsors for select races.

Team owner Rick Hendrick was thrilled with the new sponsorship agreement for one of his premier drivers. He was also pleased that the sponsor is not just about moving product but more about doing good for seniors in need in the community.

“It’s exciting to see a new organization engage with our sport and our fans through such an innovative approach,” Rick Hendrick said. “Having seen firsthand what the NASCAR community is capable of accomplishing, I know the program will help a lot of people in our country who desperately need it. Success ultimately will be measured by how many lives we can impact, and that’s a truly unique and special opportunity for everyone involved.”

“I have to say in my 27 years of being in NASCAR this is one of the most exciting things I have been involved in,” Hendrick said. “I think with Jeff’s following and the respect everyone in this sport has for him, we can move the needle on this issue. I’m taking this as a real challenge for our company.”

With his newest sponsor for 2011 in hand and the Chase in his review mirror, Gordon now has as his sole challenge to break his winless streak. He has just four more chances this season, beginning at Talladega this Halloween weekend in the Amp Energy Juice 500.

“I like Talladega a lot,” Gordon said. “I’ve won there enough times to have great memories.”

It’s both appropriate and interesting that the next round of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship is being held at the Talladega Super Speedway on Halloween day. When the checkers fall on Sunday’s Amp Energy Juice 500, it’s going to be interesting to see which team got tricked and which one got a treat. Can you imagine a ghost flying into the garage stall occupied by Jimmie Johnson’s No.48 team and saying “Chad, may I borrow a screwdriver?”

Talladega is of course a restrictor plate race. It’s an environment where four wide racing is more the norm instead of a video highlight. It’s also the home of the big one, the racing situation where the slightest flinch in the wrong direction can trigger a high speed, multi car, accident. It’s going to be interesting to see how this race impacts the Chase profile.

THE STORY BREAKDOWN

Headlining the focal point of the Talladega intensity is the Chase. Jimmie Johnson goes into Sunday’s race with a slim six point advantage over Denny Hamlin and a 62 point lead over Kevin Harvick who holds down third.

From this trio of Chase contenders Harvick is without question the focal point. He appears to have a greater level of expertise at restrictor plate racing and he won the spring race at Talladega last April. He’s also the only driver to score top ten finishes in all three of the restrictor plate races held this year.

Johnson is a previous winner at Talladega. He also seems to qualify well at restrictor plate events. He has a 9.71 start average in 17 races which places him on the top of the charts in that category among active drivers. On the other hand, Hamlin has yet to win a restrictor place race in 19 tries but does have four top ten finishes. Among this trio Harvick seems to be holding all of the cards. If he’s going to eradicate any of Johnson’s lead then Talladega will be the place for him to get the job done.

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The other big storyline from this weekend that will warrant a lot of commentary is the financial status of Richard Petty Motorsports. All four of the RPM cars will be at the race track this weekend but that alone is a miracle considering all of the revelations we heard regarding the financial woes of majority team owner George Gillett Jr.

The financial woes seem to center around a $90 million loan Gillett secured from the Wachovia Bank used to initially purchase the race team from its founder Ray Evernham back in 2007. Approximately two years ago there was a corporate merger with Petty Enterprises followed by a second merger with Yates Racing. The status of that loan hit default recently. Adding to the problem were mounting unpaid bills owed to Roush Fenway Racing, who supplies the Ford Fusions the team uses, along with Roush Yates Engines who supplies the power plants for the cars.

On Tuesday Booth Creek Resort Properties LLC, owned by Gillett, sold their stock in the companies that operate the Northstar at Tahoe Ski Resort for a reported $63 million. This move reportedly eased some of the debt structure which in turn allowed the team’s presence at this Sunday’s race at Talladega.

Meanwhile there are reports that says that Richard Petty, who owns a four percent minority interest in the operation, is taking on the daunting, if not completely impossible, challenge of attempting to put a group of investors together to buy out Gillett. At this point in time it’s not certain that the team will make next week’s race in Texas.

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THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN

The Las Vegas based WSE, World Sports Exchange, understandably has pre race favorite Kevin Harvick, and Richard Childress Racing, on top of their rankings at 6 to 1 odds. Right behind Harvick is a lot of “Smoke.” Tony Stewart is rated at 7 to 1.

At 8 to 1 are a pair of drivers who could be an interesting long shot wager. Jamie McMurray is the defending race winner and won the 2009 event when he was still driving for Roush Fenway Racing. However, McMurray has three major wins for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing this year including last February’s Daytona 500 the other restrictor plate track on the Cup schedule. Also in this ranking is Kyle Busch who is another former Talladega winner. Never overlook the capability of this driver and Joe Gibbs Racing.

Next we have one of the more interesting, and possibly lucrative, WSE proposals. Dale Earnhardt Jr is listed at 10 to 1 odds for the race. A few weeks ago anyone would have told you not to waste your money. The struggles of this team over the past two seasons have been well documented. So have the arguments between the driver and the crew chief that has fueled garage rumors stating Lance McGrew may not be the crew chief when the 2011 season starts next February. But what makes this wager so interesting is the team’s performance last weekend in the Martinsville race. Earnhardt led more laps in this race than his combined total all season. The other factor here is the numbers this driver has at Talladega. He’s a five time winner there including a series high four consecutive wins that ranged from 2001 to 2003.

Another wager to consider is Jeff Gordon at 12 to 1 odds. Gordon leads all active drivers with six wins at Talladega and 13 top five finishes. This could turn out to be a solid long shot wager assuming Kurt Busch is through getting even with Gordon for atrocities that dates back several years.

In the middle portion of this week’s WSE rankings you will find Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards at 15 to 1 while previous race winner Jimmie Johnson is ranked 18 to 1. Johnson could turn out to be another good long shot prospect. The #48 team’s restrictor plate efforts have to wake up eventually. At 20 to 1 is a quartet of drivers featuring Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Juan Pablo Montoya.

At the bottom of the WSE list is the trio of Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman and former winner Brad Keselowski at 25 to 1 odds. At 30 to 1 is the quartet of two time winner Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Aric Almirola in the RPM Ford formally occupied by Kasey Kahne while Joey Logano completes the category.

Now for the disclaimer: NASCAR wants to remind you that these numbers are for information and entertainment purposes only. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their races. If you need an alternative source for spending your allowance then dial up the NASCAR Store on your computers and purchase some Richard Petty Motorsports souvenirs.

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THE RACE BREAKDOWN

The Amp Energy Juice 500 is 188 laps/500.08 miles around the Talladega Super Speedway’s 2.666 mile quad oval.

The race has 46 entries vying for the 43 starting berths. 11 of those entries are on the go or go home list. These teams do not have a guaranteed starting berth because they are currently outside of the top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speed to make the race.

The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held at Talladega in September of 1969 and was won by Richard Brick house. Since that time the track has hosted 82 Cup races that have sent 40 different winners to victory lane. 13 of those races has been won by drivers who started from the pole position. 31 of the races have been won from the first two starting berths.

Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing are tied for the most team wins at Talladega with ten each.

In restrictor plate racing, lead changes can often be fast and furious. The track record for most lead changes, 88, was set last April. That same race also established a new track record for most leaders at 29.

The most yellow caution flags at a Talladega are 11, set back in 2004. On the opposite extreme there has been three times when a race there ran caution free with the most recent one being back in the fall of 2002.

When it comes to qualifying at the Talladega Super Speedway NASCAR icon Bill Elliot is the man. He set the track record, during the non restrictor plate days, of 212.809 MPH back in 1987. Then Elliot set the restrictor plate record, 199.388 MPH, in 1990. He also holds the track record for most poles at eight.

This massive speedway is 48 feet wide to accommodate the multiple line racing. The turns are banked a whopping 33 degrees while the tri oval has 18 degrees of banking. The front stretch measures 4,300 feet and is banked 16.5 degrees. The backstretch is 4,000 feet long but only has two degrees of banking. The pit road is 3,000 feet long and 48 feet wide. Pit road speed is 55 MPH.

The speedway presently has seating for 143,231 fans.

The weather should not be a problem this weekend. The forecast calls for sunny skies and 73 degrees.

The Amp Energy Juice 500 will be broadcast live by the ESPN2 Network beginning at 12 pm eastern time. The re broadcasts will be Monday morning, 330 am ET, on ESPN2 and again on Wednesday afternoon, 12 pm et, on SPEED.